Hello! As promised, here is the next chapter :)

Yes, Charlie is protective of his daughter, and there is more Chief to come!

Thanks for the reviews, it makes me very happy to know that you are enjoying it so far.

Just to let you know, this is a multiple POV story. The main narrator is Bella, but there will be Paul and Sam's POV here and there.

Let me know what you think.

WARRIOR

Chapter 5.

PAUL POV

I ran, but no matter how fast or far away I ran, I kept hearing Bella's sobs caused by the panic attack. Since she was not picking up my or Sam's calls, we asked Angela – who was on the phone with Jake – to check on her.

Angela found her hyperventilating and barely holding herself together. When Bella once commented she had suffered from panic attacks, she made it seem like they were over, like they hadn't happened in a while and were not going to make an appearance again. Something had triggered this one, and she didn't know she could talk to me because I was a fucking coward and hadn't told her everything.

She'd said she would come home next weekend for Jake's birthday. If she came, I would tell her everything and come what may.

I didn't run that far, settling still phased in the thick foliage of the Quillayute River. I often came here when I first moved to the reservation from Tacoma with my dad. It provided an escape from a world that couldn't understand why a child would be angry at it when his mom was a bitch. A bitch that I occasionally stayed in contact with and visited a couple of times. I hadn't gone since I noted Bella was my mate when Jake first introduced her to us.

Bella had still been withdrawn, but my wolf whimpered at the sight of her, recognizing the inner strength that was battling to come out. I didn't fall for her at first sight. I didn't want the mating bond to dictate everything about it, so I got close to her and got to know her. I wasn't happy to learn that Jacob had slept with her that one time, but I couldn't do anything about it.

Over time, Bella opened up to me and Sam, befriended Kim, and recovered her friendship with Angela. She laughed more frequently, and I started noticing things about her, like how she hated peanuts in her brownies and had a sweet tooth or that she liked to cook, but she always needed to have chocolate while cooking. How that woman managed not to ruin every meal she cooked was a mystery. She was smart, resourceful, and had the biggest fucking heart I've ever seen. She was also naïve, and because of her run-in with a broken heart, she distrusted people, which bothered her because she was friendly.

She loved it when I called her baby or any other pet name. Her breathing became labored whenever I whispered her name in the privacy of a conversation, giving me all kinds of ideas about whispering her name in different circumstances. She loved it when anyone called her B, and the one time Sam called her sweetheart, she blushed so hard it was a wonder she ever recovered her pale complexion again.

I fucking missed her. When I said goodbye to her on the bonfire, it wasn't because I couldn't see her the next day; it was because I knew if I drove to her house to say goodbye, I wouldn't have let her leave.

I settled for seeing her daily through the screen on my or Sam's phone. Sam teased her about the kitten she had seen around campus and the thousands of pictures she sent us of it. Neither Sam nor I were fans of cats – can you guess why? – but admittedly, it was a cute critter.

Bella was doing well; she seemed happy when she spoke with us and genuinely liked her lodgings and what she'd seen of the campus so far, which is why her panic attack took me by surprise. I didn't know she was struggling with anything. Why didn't she tell us something was going on? Or had she told Jake?

Jake spoke with Bella as often as he spoke with Angela. If Bella weren't my mate, and Jacob wasn't mated to Angela, I would have thought they were in love or something. I wasn't jealous of Jacob because I had seen in his mind that Bella was something else for him. It was not like a sister because that would be gross, considering they had kissed and fucked. But something more spiritual and deeper.

I heard footsteps approaching me quite fast. I didn't move, waiting for Jacob – judging by the scent – to catch up to me.

"Are you up for some company?" He might not be the Alpha, but it was no wonder why Sam chose him to be his beta.

I phased back and accepted the cut-offs he offered me. "Thanks."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I'm just frustrated. When she mentioned the panic attacks, she'd make them seem distant and so rare to happen again. I'm worried about her."

He nodded. "She got a panic attack because she's nervous about the first week of school." So, they had spoken about it. "I didn't know she was having panic attacks or if she's having them often. She never told me about them."

"What?"

"She told me a lot of things about her life, but she never mentioned a panic attack. If she mentioned them to you, that's pretty big."

That didn't make me feel better. I was back at square one.

"I don't know how to help her."

"Me neither. I have no clue about panic attacks. But I think there is one piece of information you and Sam need to share with her that will make her rely on you more."

I sighed. "I know. I wanted to tell her at the bonfire, but I chickened out. I'll tell her before your party if you don't mind."

He shrugged. "I don't mind. It's not like you're stealing any thunder." I knew that. He didn't care about a party at all, only the company of the people he cared about.

"Did she say anything else after I left?"

He shook his head. "No. She asked about you, but she was still out of sorts. I think you should call her tomorrow night and see from there."

"How do you do it? Being this far from Angela and not being a fucking mess 24/7?"

He scratched the back of his neck, a soft blush covering his ears. "I marked her before she left."

"Makes sense. Did that settle your wolf?"

"Some. It's still difficult but bearable."

I nodded, thinking about it. When I tell Bella, my wolf will want to claim her and mark her. We like to say that we are in control of the wolves, but in certain circumstances, like lying with one's mate, the wolf struggled to get control, hence why the marking existed. With Bella, it would be different since two wolves had claimed her as theirs. I had spoken with Sam the day I noticed it happening, and we both agreed that neither of us nor our wolves mind sharing her. I told him of my plan to get to know her, and he admitted to thinking the same.

Now, we were head over heels for this girl, who was a few hours away. It sucked, but it'd been her decision, and that was something we would never take away from her.

"Let's go back. Sam should be done with the food now." I stood and followed him on foot back to Sam's house.

The week passed tortiously slow. By Wednesday, it was evident that Bella was avoiding us. I wanted to give her space, but at the same time, I wanted to barge into the dorm and demand she speak with us. The second urge was stronger than the first. I was an asshole most of the time, and I really didn't want to be one with her, but damn, she made it difficult when she stopped speaking to us out of the blue.

I had to conform to the meager updates Jake got from my mate and his mate.

Thursday afternoon rolled in, and Sam informed me that Bella had gotten in a scuffle and sprained her ankle. She was on bed rest and wouldn't come this weekend. I sat heavily on the kitchen stool, defeated and tired. The distance was hard on me, and I was miserable.

"Why do you seem so in control?" I asked Sam.

"I'm the Alpha, and my wolf is stronger. Doesn't mean I hate the distance any less or that I'm not going crazy."

I nodded but remained quiet. My wolf was also getting antsy.

Saturday evening arrived, and I couldn't take the silence any longer. I had given her the space she wanted – and did not ask for – but it was enough. She had responded to my messages yesterday, but it didn't satisfy me. I would blow up her phone until she had no choice but to pick it up.

To my utter surprise, she picked up at the first ring, her face taking the screen on my phone. "Hey, baby."

She looked embarrassed. "Hi."

"Are you done hiding?"

She frowned. "Screw you." And hung up on me.

Ok, that didn't go the way I wanted it to.

I tried again. I smiled when she picked up again on the first ring.

"That came out more douchy than I intended." I excused myself. "What I wanted to know was if you want to speak with me."

"I picked up your call, didn't I?" She was mad. I could work with mad.

"Fine. How are you feeling?"

She knew I was not asking only about her ankle. "Tired. I don't know what came over me last week."

She then told me what triggered her attack and her reasoning behind her silence during the week. I understood her perspective. I didn't like how she handled it, but I understood.

"Can I ask you a favor?" She nodded eagerly.

"Talk to me next time. Don't avoid me. We're friends, right?" I hated the word friend for her, but for all intents and purposes, that's what we were.

"I don't want to be just your friend." She said, biting her lip and looking at me with wide eyes. I think she didn't realize she had said those words out loud.

"When you come next, we'll talk and settle that, baby. But until then, you're my friend. Talk to me."

She nodded, slightly blushed.

God, what I would give to be there with her and do something with that blushed face. Probably something to make it more flushed and sweaty.

I adjusted myself in my pants and focused on her words and not on how tempting her lips were or how fun it would be to see her brown eyes widen in pleasure.

"Are you ok? You look weird."

I cleared my throat, embarrassed to be caught in filthy dreamland.

I wanted to say that I was not okay, that I wanted to run there and get her into bed and have my way with her all weekend, and maybe settle this friends business once and for all.

"I'm okay, sweetheart." I could see the ghost of a smile forming on her lips, but it quickly disappeared. "I miss you." I could give her that. It was part of the truth.

This time, she did smile. "I miss you too."